ARM Chromebooks get Native Client, full Netflix support coming soon

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Chrome OS 25 is currently evolving in the Developer Channel, and it’s bringing one very welcome under-the-hood change: Native Client will finally run on ARM devices, like Samsung’s $249 Exynos-powered Chromebook. That may not seem like a big deal, but it’s an important addition.

Without Native Client, the ARM Chromebook doesn’t offer the same level of functionality that its Intel-based counterparts do. To consumers, the most obvious evidence of this lack of parity is the fact that Netflix doesn’t run on Samsung’s Chromebook. While die-hard Google enthusiasts might not be too concerned, the $249 laptop loses a good deal of its appeal if potential buyers find out it can’t run the immensely popular streaming service. NaCl is also an important part of the gaming experience on Chrome OS, providing hardware accelerated 3D graphics.

When a Windows 8 laptop that runs iTunes, Netflix, and and a boatload of games shoppers already know and love can be had for $50 more, Chrome hardware is a tough sell.

The more of these hurdles Google can remove, the more appealing Chrome OS devices become to consumers. The price point is obviously not an issue and Google couldn’t ask for a better hardware partner than Samsung. The electronics giant has loads of street cred and seems to be getting more popular by the day. Lenovo has announced that it’s building Chrome OS laptops, too, and there have been rumblings about Sony getting in on the action for quite some time.

With ARM support for Native Client in the Dev Channel, it should be about twelve weeks before the code makes its way to the Stable Channel. That would conveniently land just ahead of Google I/O, so don’t be surprised if Google has some sort of reveal planned that shows off what Native Client can do on an ARM-based Chrome OS system — possibly one we don’t even know about yet.